In March 2008, the University of Hawai‘i Center for Pacific Island Studies sponsored a conference called “Micronesian Voices in Hawai‘i” at the East-West Center. Micronesian leaders and community representatives participated in a two-day conference sharing the history and relationship with the U.S., as well as personal stories. The feedback gathered from attendees after the two-day conference was an overwhelming need for a “one-stop-shop.” Follow-up conferences and additional meetings have been held on O‘ahu and the neighbor islands with feedback that continues to highlight the need for connecting Micronesian individuals and families to services.

In August 2014, Assistant Secretary for the Insular Areas, Esther Kia‘aina called a meeting at the Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services and it was attended by over 60 Micronesian government representatives, community members, and Hawai‘i State and Federal representatives. At that time, a need for connecting Micronesian families with services was again cited as an unmet need.

The need in the Micronesian community persists; however, funding is needed to enable and equip such a center. At a recent presentation entitled “Compacts of Free Association: Trends and Challenges in Growing Migration” at the East-West Center, Dr. David Gootnick and Assistant Director Emil Friberg from the U.S. General Accounting Office provided the background of funding that has been implemented through allocation and legislation for amendment of the COFA agreement, which authorizes and appropriates $30 million annually (2004-2023) for grants to “aid in defraying costs” incurred from an increase in demand for education, health, social services or public safety. The Micronesian leaders must be mentored in how to access these funds to make much-needed services available to the FAS community.
Over the past 20 years, there has been an increase in Micronesian migrants to the U.S. and Hawai‘i. The 2010 Census counted 12,215 compact ‘impact migrants’ although current actual numbers are estimated to be much higher as actual numbers are difficult to quantify.

There are estimates of over 20,000 Micronesians in Hawai‘i, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). In Hawai‘i, there are now an estimated 15,000 – 17,000 Micronesian migrants, dispersed over O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i, and the Big Island (Riklon, Alik, Hixon & Neal 2010, p. 9). This number will surely continue to increase in the coming years.

Immigrants who have come to America have always faced a host of challenges. Although they may arrive hoping to achieve the American dream and build better lives for themselves and their children, the reality is often much harsher. The experiences of migrants in Hawai‘i from the region of Micronesia are no exception. However, unlike other immigrants, families from these Pacific Islands choose to come to the U.S. to access health care, education, and employment that are non-existent in their islands (Pobutsky, Buenconsejo-Lum, Chow, Palafox, & Maskarinec, 2005). Their primary needs of mainly medical care and health care stem from a long history of colonial powers in the region and the legacy of U.S. militarization and weapons testing.

Cultural differences between Micronesia and Hawai‘i in the areas of medical care, employment, education, and laws, compounded with the unfamiliarity with navigating Hawai‘i’s systems and services, have led to the numerous challenges facing the Micronesian community in Hawai‘i. Among these challenges are homelessness, the highest number of student truancy, lack of job readiness skills, increasing numbers of children in child welfare services, and increasing numbers of juvenile and adult incarcerations. In 2007 an organization called the Micronesian Awareness Project (MCAP) was established and funded by the Office of Community Services to address the need to acculturate the State of Hawai‘i agencies to the Micronesian community, with the focus on the Department of Education (Personal Communication J.H, 12/1/2014). The demand was high and over the past 10 years, MCAP has provided over 70 cultural awareness training to State agencies, churches, service providers, and communities statewide (personal communication J.H., 12/1/2014).

Affect on Hawai‘i

According to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office and Department of the Interior, Hawai‘i spent over $628 million on services for compact migrants from 2004-2010 (approximately 108% increase), with the largest expenses for education and health services. However, during this period only $75 million in compact impact grants were given to Hawai‘i. Hawai‘i has the second largest number of compact migrants in the United States.